The Brightest Star
by Commandant
Summary: Raven and Karol talk about what it takes to run a guild.


[[AN: We had to write a descriptive essay of a person for English class... I chose to do one of Raven, and it turned into papa Raven fluff.]]

The setting sun over the horizon, dyed a deep scarlet, deepened the orange hue that perpetually bathed the city of Danghrest. A boy, Karol, sat on the ledge dividing the residential and business areas of the city. He looked out across the rooftops of the various guild headquarters, a pensive look marring his young face. He snapped out of his introspection as he became aware of someone next to him, evinced by a soft thud and the brush of fabric against his shoulder. He turned his head to see who it was that had intruded on his solitude.

"Hey there Karol, what's th' matter? Ya look a bit outta it,"

"Oh, it's you, Raven... I was just thinking, is all," Karol seemed slightly surprised at the sight of the older man, his voice cracking as he spoke.

" 'bout th' guilds?" Raven asked, his ambiguously rustic accent gave his voice a warm, rather relaxing so rt of attitude to it.

"Yeah I guess... I mean, I'm not worried about it, or anything, I was just thinking about it," Karol responded.

Raven couldn't help but emit a short laugh, "s'alright ta be worried Karol; runnin' a guild ain't an easy thing ta do." He stretched his arms above his head, his back arching out of his usual slouch, and yawned. he put his hands back down behind him, leaning back to look up at the darkening sky where stars would soon be visible. He shifted slight to adjust the placement of his jacket, which had begun to slip off his shoulder. The jacket would have been unremarkable if it were not for its bright violet hue. His clothes hung on his lithe frame in a loose, almost lazy manner, perfectly housing this jellyfish of man who seemed to drift through life with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Seeing that his words had done nothing to alleviate the Karol's worry, he added, "I don't think ya aughta be worried, though, 'm sure yer gonna be a great guild leader, kid," he said, a note of sincerity tingeing his usual playful tone.

"Y-you really think so?" Karol looked back at the man.

His gaze met with Raven's. The older man's eyes were an ambiguous light blue-green color. They constantly seemed to bear a tired expression, the skin around them finely lined, and were always quite emotive. His thin, dark brows would constantly be arching and furrowing, fluctuating with his moods like tidal currents. He sat up then, and pulled Karol into a sideways embrace, ruffling his hair with a jovial laugh, " a 'course I do! Unlike this old man here," he said as he pointed his thumb at himself, "you've got yer whole life ahead a ya. All ya need is ambition, and you've got plenty a that! Right?"

"Y-yeah! " Karol responded, then caught a glint of light out of the corner of his eye. He looked up at the source, the brightest star in the sky, Vesperia. "Oh, the stars are coming out!" he said as he pointed skywards, and even as he spoke several other faint glimmers were becoming visible. They sat in silence for a few minutes as the night set in, Karol resting against Raven, noticing a warm musky scent that seemed to speak of years of experience. The man's hand on his shoulder was slender but firm and callused. He could feel the short, whiskery stubble of the man's chin brush the top of his head, his hair almost as messy and jumbled as Raven's was after the friendly gesture.

"Ya know, Karol," Raven spoke softly now, as if a loud noise would scare the stars away. "If you stick to yer heart an' try yer best, ya can do whatever ya set yer mind to," Raven gave the boy a reassuring pat on the shoulder, a serene smile on his face.

Karol smiled too, wiping a tear from his eye, "thanks Raven... y-you know, if my dad were-"

"Hey Captain Karol, old man! The food's going to go cold if you're not careful," Yuri called over to the two, "you wouldn't want Estelle's cooking to go to waste, would you?"

"Ah, be right there, Yuri!" Karol hopped to his feet, starting to head over to the rest of the group. He faltered for a moment, and turned his head, "You're coming too, right Raven?"

Raven paused for a moment before responding, "Yeah," he said as he got to his feet. Karol took off towards the others, but Raven walked at a leisurely pace, his arms folded behind his head, his face titled upward, taking the time to enjoy the stars.

[[AN: Yeah I found Karol's line during the Schwann fight intriguing, that was definitely what got me thinking about a scene like this happening. SO YES, BLATANT RIPOFF IS BLATANT.]]


End file.
